The “war on women” messaging is getting highly nuanced indeed, my friends.

David Axelrod, President Obama’s senior campaign strategist, is scheduled to appear on Bill Maher’s late-night talk show within the next few weeks, according to Kelley Carville, an HBO spokesman.

As the controversy over Rush Limbaugh’s comments about Sandra Fluke continued, a former Obama White House official today joined Republicans in pointing out that Maher, who recently donated $1 million to a pro-Obama super PAC, has a history of his misogynistic slurs…

“palin is right to point out that bill maher has said some pretty disgusting things about women, comedian or not. they are rush like,” Austan Goolsbee, the former chairman of President Obama’s Council on Economic Advisors, and currently a professor at the University of Chicago, tweeted…

In a conference call with reporters today, Axelrod invoked Limbaugh on several occasions.

He could cancel on Maher, but because the show is dogmatically liberal and merrily vicious towards the right, the media considers it “hip” and Axelrod doesn’t want to squander that brand. Besides, why forfeit an opportunity to push his “war on women” garbage? Better to show up and follow a script in which he pretends to scold Maher for his language towards women and Maher pretends to be contrite. (Maher’s sufficiently uncomfortable with the attention he’s gotten lately for his own rhetoric that he’s taken to Twitter to try to call off the dogs on Rush.) That’s win/win — Axelrod gets to look chivalrous and Maher gets to symbolically seek redemption. A perfect ending to the ridiculous melodrama of the past two weeks.

Oh, by the way: The Daily neglected to mention that Ax himself has been known to make a questionable crack or two in his time. Remember this clip from NPR back when the left was enjoying its Two Minutes Hate at Carrie Prejean? Good thing Axelrod’s boss doesn’t oppose gay marriage like she does.